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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27594926">when this is over (let's hang?)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve'>call_me_steve</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>hang around 'verse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Damian Wayne Feels, Gen, Healing, Hurt Damian Wayne, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Medical Inaccuracies, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sequel, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake-centric, bc im no doctor, there's so many relationship tags im so sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:21:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,792</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27594926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts like this: Red Robin and Robin are deployed to track and take down a Harley Quinn impersonator as Gotham’s vigilantes help out a sister city. They’re captured and roughed up. The fake Harley Quinn seems intent on taking one of them with her. Tim tries to volunteer, but Damian offers himself.</p><p>When Damian comes back, he’s bruised and bleeding and hurt. While Damian was away, he’d been unmasked on live television. The world knows the secret beneath the cowl. </p><p>One Stephanie Brown catches wind of the live stream and pulls together a rescue team. Red Hood, Batman and Black Bat stay to wrap up the prison break as Spoiler, Signal, and Nightwing descend upon their lost Robins’ own prison. </p><p>By the time they secure the building, Tim’s already slipped under. </p><p>-</p><p>Or, Damian and Tim get rescued and work through the aftermath.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown &amp; Cassandra Cain &amp; Tim Drake &amp; Duke Thomas, Tim Drake &amp; Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake &amp; Damian Wayne, Tim Drake &amp; Dick Grayson, Tim Drake &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>hang around 'verse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017297</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>157</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is a sequel, so i'd suggest reading stay around (and hang out?) before reading this one. if you don't want to, there's a semi recap in the beginning. anyway, ppl were asking for a second part, but it kinda got away from me, so. here u go :) hope u like it :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It starts like this: Red Robin and Robin are deployed to track and take down a Harley Quinn impersonator as Gotham’s vigilantes help out a sister city. They’re captured and roughed up; when Tim wakes up, he has a bullet wound in his thigh and he’s been chained up in a room made of stone walls. Damian’s strung up upside down by his side, silently fuming as his bindings slowly spin him around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the faux Harley Quinn steps into the room with her henchmen. She seems intent on taking one of them with her. Tim tries to volunteer, but Damian offers himself and the fake Quinn decides to humor him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They disappear around the corner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>happens</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this: Damian comes back. He’s bruised and bleeding and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim tries to clean the blood off of his brother’s face because there’s nothing else that he can do. While Damian was away, he’d been unmasked on live television. The world knows the secret beneath the cowl and they don’t seem to care in a way that matters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d beaten a twelve year old anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Tim reunites with Damian, one Stephanie Brown (as Spoiler) catches wind of the live stream and pulls together a rescue team. Red Hood, Batman and Black Bat stay to wrap up the prison break as Spoiler, Signal, and Nightwing descend upon their lost Robins’ own prison. By the time they secure the building, Tim’s already slipped under. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything goes black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Tim wakes up.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Tim wakes up, he finds himself in the med-bay section of the Batcave. Duke is snoring away by his bedside, legs kicked up and resting over Cass’ lap as she sits to his side. Stephanie’s draped over the back of Cass’ chair as the two girls carry a quiet conversation full of murmurs. There’s no sign of Bruce, Dick, or Jason, but Tim thinks he can see Alfred bustling around in the background. There’s an IV stuck in his arm, flooding his body with sweet, sweet relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Cass realizes he’s awake- since she’s the first one to realize- she turns her gaze up and shoots him a smile. “Hi,” she says, softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Tim croaks out, in turn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stephanie abandons Cass and rounds Tim’s cot, tugging his upper body close. Her grip on his shoulders is tight; tight enough that Tim understands how worried she’s been. He tries to hug her back, finding it easier than he’d actually expected it to be. He feels light and numb, but restless and energetic. A weird combo, certainly. With his arms wrapped around Steph, he feels safe and calm-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until he remembers the room and the fake Harley Quinn. The memories slam into him with all the grace of a car slamming into a wall. Damian, hanging upside down and snarling at him; Harley Quinn slipping into the room with her wolf-like grin; sitting in the room all by himself, screaming into his knees; his little brother coming back all bloody and bruised, without his domino pressed to his face. Tim can’t stop himself from pulling away from Steph, scanning the cave erratically all over again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Damian?” he asks, through his sore throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t get an answer, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> get Alfred’s attention. The butler trails over, eyeing the IV bag. “It’s splendid to see you awake, Master Timothy. I trust you’re without pain?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim gives Alfred a nod as Stephanie pulls back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were really worried about you, y’know,” she says. “You and Damian both, actually. Dick was about to pop a gasket when we heard about the video.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>video.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim only knows about the stream because Damian had told him, once he’d been strung back up in the room. He’d been unmasked on camera; all of Gotham undoubtedly knows about Bruce being Batman and his wards being the other vigilantes that roam the city streets. Steph must’ve seen the video itself. How else would they have known where to go in order to save Tim and Damian?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, Tim tries to inquire about Damian. Something had to have happened to him if they’re not telling him. Is he dead? Did he bleed out while Tim slept, die from some horrible wound that Tim hadn’t seen? Tim’s heart begins to race. His hand flies out and he grabs at Stephanie’s wrist, tugging her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to Damian, Steph?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her gaze softens; Alfred clears his throat and sets a hand on her shoulder, letting her know that he’ll break the news. “Master Damian is alive and recovering upstairs,” he says, and Tim reckons there’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> there. “Master Bruce and Master Richard are upstairs with him at the moment. Master Jason is out and about, I reckon, trying to find the woman who kidnapped the two of you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I see him?” asks Tim, releasing Stephanie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Cass who speaks up next: “Baby brother needs time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Time to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim wants to kick himself. Recover, obviously- but from what? There’s nothing he wants to do more than keep asking. He needs to know that Damian’s okay, that that fake Harley Quinn hadn’t caused anything permanent to him besides a few superficial wounds. Wounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>heal.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Other things don’t, and that’s what Tim’s afraid of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll speak with Master Bruce and let him know you’re awake. If he allows it, I believe you’ll be able to see your brother before nightfall.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That means that Tim’s probably woken up sometime in the morning, or maybe closer to the afternoon. Either way, he’s slept through the night and his rescue. As much as he wants to hope that Damian did the same thing, the thought of Damian being “asleep” scares him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Alf.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alfred nods and departs, but not before telling Tim about the presence of a pair of crutches by his bedside. While Tim’s certain that Alfred would rather caution bed-rest, all of them know that 1) Tim can’t remain resting in the cave and it’d be better to get him into his own room and 2) Tim’s not going to submit to bed-rest. He needs to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Once Stephanie rouses Duke, Cass helps Tim slide out of bed. Stephanie offers the crutches and Tim takes them, trying to regain his balance. They leave the IV in and it’s Duke that commandeers its stand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did Steph tell you that you scared us half to death?” Duke questions. “‘Cuz, man, for a second there we were really worried. I guess I never really got it when B said how dangerous all of this can get.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what I signed up for,” replies Tim, as he hobbles towards the stairs. Cass lets him stare at the steps for a few seconds before she offers to carry him up them, but Tim declines. He’s okay. He can make it up a single flight. “It’s not like it was the worst kidnapping I’ve ever lived through, anyway.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stephanie shudders at that. Duke just kind of stares at them like they’ve each grown an extra head. “You’re all </span>
  <em>
    <span>crazy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Just because you signed up to protect the city doesn’t mean you signed up to get </span>
  <em>
    <span>tortured.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t get tortured,” Tim points out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fall into silence at that as Tim’s words spoil the mood. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damian</span>
  </em>
  <span> got tortured because Tim wasn’t good enough. He’d gotten himself hurt, and in turn, the Harley Quinn knock-off took Damian in his stead. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>should’ve</span>
  </em>
  <span> been Tim getting dragged off. That should’ve been him getting beaten, </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting his mask torn off, </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting his identity revealed to the world. Not a twelve year old kid. Not Tim’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>little brother.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A little rougher than needed, Tim propels himself up two stairs, slamming the crutches down onto the next step. As he walks, he’s hit by how </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired</span>
  </em>
  <span> he actually is. Whatever energy he’d had lying in the cot is gone; Tim only wants to pass out in his own room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has to see Damian first. He has to know what </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span> to Damian and why no one will </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell him.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Duke trails close behind him, followed by the girls. When they all pour out into the manor’s hallway, Steph takes the lead and Cass rushes ahead, probably to check if Bruce is on his way to see Tim. Tim feels awfully like the president riding in a convoy with all of his friends (and siblings) surrounding him. He’s protected on all sides; whether it’s good or bad, Tim’s not sure yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they hit the grand stairwell, Tim feels ready to die. The drugs are doing their best job, but that doesn’t do much to still the throbbing that’s started up in his thigh. He stares at this new flight of steps with a forlorn expression. He’s not sure if he’ll make it up this one without dying, which sucks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Duke speaks up, “Cass might be hella strong, but I think I can carry you, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So can I,” Steph offers, turning back to shoot Tim a bright smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It occurs to Tim that he should ask how the prison break went. How did the rescue go? Did any of them get hurt? They don’t look hurt at first glance, and not even a second look answers Tim’s question. Steph’s wearing a pastel purple sweatshirt and shorts, showing off her legs, and Duke’s in joggers and a pastel yellow tee-shirt. Any injuries they have are hidden beneath their clothes; Tim thinks that he should still make sure they’re alright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t, in the end, because Bruce appears at the top of the stairs with a stubble lining his chin and bags shining under his eyes. Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened. Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad, but Tim doesn’t know what it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is,</span>
  </em>
  <span> because no one will </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frustration bubbles in his chest as he watches Bruce descend towards him. “Hey chum,” says Bruce, when he hits the bottom step. “Should you be walking around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Tim answers, without preamble. “I’m going to go pass out upstairs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For some reason, that makes Bruce look sadder. Duke swoops in to save the day, pushing Tim’s IV stand at Bruce and crouching down in front of Tim. “Piggyback ride for your thoughts?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim huffs, but allows it. Bruce takes the crutches, too, and Steph rescues the IV stand as Duke straightens out. It’s like this that they travel upstairs; Bruce hanging at the edges awkwardly, Duke carrying Tim valiantly, and Stephanie keeping up step-for-step. Tim nearly falls asleep on Duke’s shoulders, caught off-guard by the repetitive sway of his new brother’s tread. His eyes slip shut and he pushes the faint ache in his leg away, slightly surprised that he hasn’t felt any pressure in his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Duke pulls to a stop, and Tim blearily opens his eyes. Stephanie opens up the door to Tim’s room and admits the duo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Tim settles onto his bed, he’s out like a light. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tim sees Damian.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>do u ever sit down with an idea of how much you're going to write and then it runs away from u and u end up with 1k more words than u meant to. i do NOT like this chapter at all. but. you get what you get what you get.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tim wakes up to a media storm blowing up his phone. It’d been sitting on his bedside table ever since he left for one of Gotham’s sister cities, and now is the first time he's actually looking at it. Every Gotham new station is yelling about the realization; people berate themselves for not connecting the dots before, and some even take guesses on the other vigilantes roaming Gotham’s streets. Some have the brains to connect Cassandra to Black Bat, others ask if she’s Batgirl. Tim sees a few posts about Duke and himself, others highlighting Jason and Damian’s prior Robin deaths. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worst ones are the articles that refer to the Robins as child soldiers; the ones that claim child abuse. Tim knows the worst about Bruce, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Bruce would never hurt them. Bruce only gives them Robin so he can keep an eye on them out in the field. If he didn’t, Bruce knows that his wards would find a way into the scene as a vigilante regardless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce isn’t perfect, sure, but he does what he can. Damian and Cass were raised to be actual child soldiers and the life that Bruce has given them is </span>
  <em>
    <span>better.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It’s what they </span>
  <em>
    <span>need,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and all of them have the choice to step back if they need to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Of course, that doesn’t touch on the fact that it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span> to leave Gotham and the vigilante life. It keeps pulling you back in like a black hole.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes all of Tim’s willpower to set his phone down. He doesn’t need to read any more heated criticisms on Bruce or any more people making his siblings out to be people they’re not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Dick has </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> stood by as his siblings have gotten hurt. Jason didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span> because of Bruce. Tim hasn’t been brainwashed. Damian isn’t your average twelve year old who’s been admitted into a life of heroics. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cass-</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim doesn’t want to comment on the comments about Cass. Or the ones on Steph. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Or</span>
  </em>
  <span> the ones on Duke. Actually, there’s so many comments about his siblings that are making Tim upset, and most of them comment on their race or their gender or their social class. Steph isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>leeching off of Bruce;</span>
  </em>
  <span> this has been a topic that’s been brought up before, how does Steph being a vigilante </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span> that argument?)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he’d grabbed his phone, he’d realized that his IV had been removed sometime while he’d been asleep. The crutches are still by his bedside and he pulls them close so he can push himself onto them. Once he’s stable, he heads out the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While his mind is thinking about coffee and breakfast, his feet bring him to Damian’s room. He hangs there, uncertain, for a bit. Then, Tim swallows whatever worries are blooming in his mind and knocks on the door. The clock on his phone had said </span>
  <em>
    <span>10:29 a.m.;</span>
  </em>
  <span> someone should be awake in there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>True to Tim’s thoughts, it’s Dick who opens the door. His eyes aren’t bleary, so he hadn’t just woken up; in fact, there’s bruises resting under his eyes that speak of a long night spent awake. Still, Dick’s face lights up when he sees that it’s Tim hanging in the hallway. He shuts Damian’s door behind him and swoops forward, gently tugging Tim to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s so good to see you up and about,” says Dick, into Tim’s hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re going to tell me that you were super worried about me, Duke and Steph said the same thing yesterday.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> because they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>right.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dick pulls back, holding Tim’s shoulders and keeping him at arm’s length. “Anything hurt?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim thinks about it for a moment. All of his normal aches and pains are back. His thigh throbs and his shoulders hurt worse than normal, but it’s manageable. He’s sure that when he gets downstairs, Alfred will produce some pain meds for him to take. Satisfied with his self-report, he says, “I’m okay. How about you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tired, but fine. Some petty convicts are no match for us, little brother.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both of them share a grin, before Dick’s fades away. He pulls his arms back hesitantly, probably knowing what unasked question he should answer now. He scratches the back of his neck and sighs, gaze drifting away from Tim for a moment. “B said you could see Dames, if you wanted to. He- uh, Damian, I mean- he’s been asking to see you, anyway.” For some reason, Dick winces at his own words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim, however, doesn’t. Being allowed to see Damian makes him push down all of his aches, pains, and problems. “Can I see him now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” says Dick. “He’s awake, but.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick doesn’t reply for a moment. Tim doesn’t think he </span>
  <em>
    <span>can,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and then, Dick inevitably proves him wrong. At first, he just shifts his weight to his other leg. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He's shaking with excess energy, Tim realizes. There's something Dick’s not telling him that's making Tim </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> uneasy. What could've happened to Damian during the time that they spent in captivity? He'd gotten hurt; did infection set in? Tim doubts it's a matter of blood loss. Well, it might be, but that's not </span>
  <em>
    <span>it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> If that were it, then everyone would quit being so secretive. Maybe, Tim thinks, there was really bad damage to one of Damian's limbs or organs. Maybe-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't want to keep thinking of maybes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Dick spits out, “Damian doesn't remember anything about being kidnapped.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim almost wants to laugh: “Is that it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels a little bad about wanting to laugh after a moment, but- it's not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing that Damian doesn't remember what happened. Not really. Tim starts to wonder if it's a suppression of the memories because they were traumatic or if it's memory loss because of his concussion. (At least, Tim presumes that the head wound Damian got gave him a concussion.) During Tim's search online, he hadn't stumbled upon the video, so he doesn't have anything to go off of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” Dick replies, continuing with his secretive, sheepish demeanor. “It turns out that hanging upside down for a while while you have a head wound isn't very good for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What's </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Very quickly, Dick warbles, “Nothing bad! Dames is gonna need some time to recover, but we're pretty sure it's temporary. Once his head heals up and the concussion fades, he'll be okay. So none of it is permanent-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dick. What's wrong with Damian?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick winces at Tim's tone before heaving a sigh. “He's having trouble focusing and he said his vision is blurry. When he tried to stand up, it was like his motor functions decided to give out. I don't know what that woman did to him because I never watched the video, but I have a bad feeling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven't seen the video either?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babs said she was going to take any trace of it off the web before she sent it to B.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At face value, Dick's report doesn't seem like the worst outcome. Damian got a bad concussion and has to ride out the symptoms. But, like Dick, Tim sees this for what it is. Damian doesn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> not knowing. He doesn't like feeling unsure in himself and his abilities and he most </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> won't like the idea that he can't “function” to “optimal perfection”. If the kid hides injuries like broken bones and stab wounds in fear of seeming weak, then there's no way he'll outright admit to how bad his problems are now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This probably seems like the end of the world to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I see him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick nods and slinks back to the door. When he opens it, he calls out Damian's name in a fake cheery voice to let him know that Dick's coming back in. “You've got another visitor, Lil’ D.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Dick stays beside the door, Tim steps into the room. His eyes immediately find Damian, who's curled up in his bed. There's only a single, thin blanket resting on his legs. The rest of his blankets are pulled to the foot of the bed, neatly resting in a fine pile. He's shirtless; in the place of his clothes is a swath of bandages curling around his chest and under his armpits. Damian's arms are littered with colorful, childish band-aids and there's another bandage winding around his forehead, just above his eyebrows, which are furrowed close together as he glares down at his open sketchbook. There's even a band-aid running across the bridge of his nose; it looks less bent out of shape than it had last time Tim saw him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tim's here to see you,” continues Dick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian scowls. “I knew that,” he lies, flipping his sketchbook closed. “Here to bombard me with more useless platitudes?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he looks up, he sets his gaze in the direction of Dick- but his eyes fall </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the right of Dick's eyes, more centered on Dick's cheek if anything. There's no hint in his eyes that he isn't seeing everything clearly, though, besides the way that his line of sight flickers every so often. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” says Tim. “I just wanted to see you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's a first, I believe.” Damian manages to sound both completely serious and deadpan all at the same time. He reaches to set his sketchbook on the bedside table. “I'd heard that you were recently injured. That doesn't have anything to do with this </span>
  <em>
    <span>unfortunate</span>
  </em>
  <span> visit, does it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim realizes that Damian’s tone also sounds dismissive; he doesn't want to talk to Tim and he's doing his best not to insult him in Dick's presence. That's alright with him, Tim decides. He's not going to let it faze him. He's here to check up on Damian and check up on Damian he's going to do. He's already halfway done; all he wants to do now is inquire about Damian's memory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only reason for this </span>
  <em>
    <span>unfortunate visit</span>
  </em>
  <span> is to check up on </span>
  <em>
    <span>you,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim says. “You’re hurt too, y’know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately,” Damian repeats. “Grayson and Father refuse to tell me how it happened.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There you go. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> sounds more like the Damian Tim knows. Everything leading up to this was the old Damian. Prickly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I hate you so much,</span>
  </em>
  <span> demon Damian. Now there’s begrudgingly complacent, </span>
  <em>
    <span>You know something I want to know,</span>
  </em>
  <span> evil sprite Damian. (Tim doesn’t think he’ll ever live to see oddly sweet, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I actually care about you,</span>
  </em>
  <span> angel Damian, but that’s okay. Damian’s only like that for Dick and Alfred every other Tuesday.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much do you remember?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian looked like the answer would kill him to say. Very slowly, he said, “I had woken up from my after-patrol rest and was called down to the cave. Father told me that there was a prison break out in Bristol. All of us went to stop it and-” Contemplatively, Damian turned his gaze upwards. “Father got a report about Harley Quinn. You and I were dispatched to deal with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s where it ends?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response, this time, Damian only shrugs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without actually speaking, Tim attempts to ask Dick if he can tell Damian what happened or if they’re just trying to bide the time until Damian remembers himself. Dick minutely shakes his head so, with a sigh, Tim says, “What do you think happened?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something went wrong,” Damian reports. “You got yourself shot-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-gee, thanks-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and something must’ve happened, as I’ve found myself with a concussion.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a coherent thought process?” Tim comments, dryly. He tries to mimic Damian’s ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“‘You clearly got yourself shot, but I would never have done anything like that, ever, in my life. I’m too perfect for that.’”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I truly am,” Damian snarks. “Grayson, please escort this bumbling buffoon out of my room.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Dick can say anything, Tim interjects, “Nice alteration, but seriously.” Honestly, Tim has no idea where the acidity in his voice is coming from. It’s potent and sharp, like the cool blade of a knife. “I came to see if you were okay. You clearly are- but, that doesn’t mean you need to be an asshole about it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need to be an </span>
  <em>
    <span>asshole?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> cries Damian, brows furrowing. “Yes, I’m so </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> alright, Drake- Clearly! Whenever I stand, I bumble around like a man with two wooden pegs for legs! Everything I see looks akin to a grainy video feed; focusing makes my head pound like a drum! But, yes, Drake, I am perfectly okay! And to think that you have the gall to walk in here and preach that I am-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-D,” Dick tried to interject. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>raised </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be one of the world’s deadliest assassins!” Damian continued, heedless to whatever was going through Dick’s mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim realized that all of this sounded far too scripted to just be any normal outburst. Damian had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>waiting</span>
  </em>
  <span> to spew all of this, and even if it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> scripted, that doesn’t mean he’s not feeling each and every ache he speaks of. This speech is all of Damian’s rage and insecurities boiling over from not knowing what happened and from not being able to go throughout his day like normal. Tim can’t help but feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>guilty.</span>
  </em>
  <span> If </span>
  <em>
    <span>he’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> been the one to leave the room in Damian’s place, then his little brother wouldn’t be experiencing any of this. But- Tim hadn’t even thought that they’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>hit</span>
  </em>
  <span> Damian that hard. He hadn’t been slurring his words when he’d come back to report to Tim what had happened. Hadn’t he? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian’s voice rises as he gains momentum. “I was bred </span>
  <em>
    <span>specifically</span>
  </em>
  <span> to ensure that I had 20/20 vision and impeccable balance! All of this has been dashed to pieces by a blasted twenty four hours I can’t seem to recall! And I am not stupid- I know that whatever happened ended with Father’s secret getting out to the public! I know that that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>my fault!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Dames, it wasn’t-” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was that happened ended up with our identities being revealed and </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was that happened has left me a ruined soldier!” Damian swoops his head down to set it in his hands, his expression looking painful. Then, sharply, he raises his head. “The news thinks us an abomination- I am no </span>
  <em>
    <span>abomination!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian’s final declaration rings out like a shot. A single tear, clear and crystal, slips down his cheek and Tim’s eyes are automatically drawn to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” says Dick, quietly. “Dames, I know what everyone’s been saying about us, but-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing!</span>
  </em>
  <span> They should know how much better I am than any of the Robin’s that have come before me. I am not some </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span> or </span>
  <em>
    <span>pawn- I </span>
  </em>
  <span>have lived through countless tortures and </span>
  <em>
    <span>concussions</span>
  </em>
  <span> while you other Robins have floundered about. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> are the weak ones. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> are unworthy of any role handed to you by Father-” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Damian.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tim</span>
  </em>
  <span> who interjects this time, fists folded by his side. His tone is final and actually gets Damian to shut his jaw with an audible click. Dick turns to look at Tim, incredulously, but Tim barrels on. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>recognizes</span>
  </em>
  <span> Damian’s wording and hidden message from when they were captured, from when Damian had snarled, “I presume he’s looking for us as we speak. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One</span>
  </em>
  <span> of us, at least.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t the end-all be-all, Damian. You and I both know that you’ll work past this. But-” He flounders for no more than a second, trying to figure out how to word it. “But this </span>
  <em>
    <span>deflective</span>
  </em>
  <span> tactic you keep on using- It’s not helping anyone.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick hisses Tim’s name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he’s being harsh and continues anyway. “Dick and I- even Jason- none of us are weak or unworthy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> aren’t weak or unworthy, either. Everyone in the manor knows that we deserved the </span>
  <em>
    <span>R</span>
  </em>
  <span> when we wore it just like they know that you deserve it. Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span> know you deserve it. You getting hurt- </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting hurt? That doesn’t change anything.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” says Damian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn’t. Tim won’t. “It’s not fair that when we try to show you that we care about you, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>insult</span>
  </em>
  <span> us. It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>fair</span>
  </em>
  <span> when we try to help you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> try to hurt us-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut </span>
  <em>
    <span>up-!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim shoots back, glad he’s facing away from Dick, now. “What happened </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucked.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You not being able to just go back to your normal schedule </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucks.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I get that, okay? I really do. That’s why we’re trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>coddling,</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’s us caring. It’s not us being </span>
  <em>
    <span>condescending,</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’s us </span>
  <em>
    <span>caring!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Tim pauses to clear his throat, blinking back tears. He’s remembering Damian offering himself up and getting dragged away. He’s remembering Damian facing something horrible on his own for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tim.</span>
  </em>
  <span> For </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tim!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you care about me,” he fights to say. “You- You did something really important that you don’t remember, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> remember it and you’re not fooling anyone. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> me, and I love you. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> we’re going to fight. That’s what brothers do. But brothers are also there for each other above everything else, which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> why I’m here right now. If our positions were reversed, you would’ve done the exact same thing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-” Damian swallows and blinks harshly. Tim notices that he’s not holding back tears anymore. “I-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Tim pushes past the pain in his body and surges forward to wrap Damian into a tight, tight hug. Both of them dissolve into a mess of tears and limbs and it’s only when Dick coos at them that Tim starts to pull back-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least, he starts for all of a moment before Dick swaddles them up into a hug of his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim sinks into it because </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> what brothers do.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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